Undergarment.



F. CHAIFIELD & G. E. RUTLEDGE.

UNDERGARMENT.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 8, 1912. MLQGASL PatentedAug. 29,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

FRANKLIN CHA'I'FIELD, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, AND GEORGE E. RUTLEDGE, OF ROCHELLE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-HALF TO NGR'IIIWESTERN KNITTING CO., OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION, AND ONE-HALF 'IO VASSAR SWISS UNDERWEAR CO., OF ROCHELLE, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION.

UNDERGARMENT.

IJIOALSI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, IOI.

I To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANKLIN CHAT FIELD, of Minneapolis, Hennepin county, Minnesota, and GEORGE` E. RUTLnDGn, of Rochelle, Ogle county, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Undergarments, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to union suit undergarments and the object of the invention is to provide a garment with a permanently closed crotch and a wide or full posterior opening in which there will be no gaps or exposed openings when the garment is in use.

A further object is to provide a union undergarment having a permanently closed crotch seat portion from which all straight seams are eliminated, and a garment having no seams in the crotch or seat portion to annoy or chafe the wearer.

A further object is to provide a garment in which there will be no overlapping of the fabric in the crotch and the consequent bunching of the garment in the seat or crotch portion.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following detailed description.

The invention consists generally in the garment as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Figure l is a rear view of the garment as it will appear on the wearer, Fig. 2 is a detail view of a portion of the fabric, showing a section cut therefrom to provide for a wide or full posterior opening, Fig. 3 is a detail view of the section, the upper portion of which closes the posterior opening and the lower portion forms the leg gores, Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the gore and liap section in the completed garment, and the buttons for holding the flap in place over the opening, Fig. 5 is a detail view looking at the front of the garment, showing the position of the gores and the location of the seams with respect to the crotch.

In the drawing, 2 represents a section of fabric from which the undergarment is formed. This fabric maybe in the form of a tube or knit fla-t in two parts and stitched together, as preferred. We do not confine ourselves to the application of the invention -to any particular form or weave of the fabstantially straight upper edge extending preferably across the back portion of the garment with downwardly converging edges 6 which preferably intersect the edges of the leg portions of the garment formed by the longitudinal slit 3. To cover this opening we provide a fabric section 7, the lower portions of which are preferably stitched to the edges 6 and form the leg gores, increas ing the fullness of the leg portions at the crotch. The edge 5 of the opening 4 is preferably located opposite, approximately, the lower end of the opening 8 at the front of the garment, and the gore section 7, as show plainly in Fig. 4, provides suiicient looseness or slack to allow for the separation of the sides of the fabric to expose the posterior opening. The lower portions of the gore will eXtend under the crotch to the front of the garment. There will be no gaps, either in the crotch or in the front or rear, and the seams are so located that the back portion of the garment will be elastic and all danger of chafing the wearer by cross seams or seams in the crotch and seat will be entirely eliminated. Furthermore, there will be no lapping of the fabric in the crotch to cause discomfort to the wearer. The upper portion of the gore section forms a loose drop section or Hap 9 which covers the upper portion of the posterior opening and is provided with button-holes 10 therein to engage buttons 11 secured to the back of 'the garment above the opening 4. We have shown two of these buttons, but do not limit ourselves to this number, as a greater or less number may be employed, if preferred. Thevbuttons are easily accessible to theV wearer of the garment, and when the flap is disengaged from the buttons or other fastening means which may be provided, it will dropdown and expose the posterior opening of the garment without the necessity of opening the front portion theretially triangular Ysection of the fabric from which the garment is made, the upper edge of said opening extending across the garmenty from side to side thereof, and the side'edges of said opening converging to a point below the crotch of the garment, a seat section stitched to the side edges of said opening and forming gore portions extending into the legs ofthe garment below the crotch thereof, said gore portions also extending to the front of the garment and stitched thereto and forming a permanently closed seamless crotch, the upper portion of said seat section forming a loose drop flap for covering said opening, and means for connecting said flap to the back of the garment.

2. A union garment having a vposterior opening formed by cutting out a triangular section of the fabric from which the garment is made, the upper edge of said opening being substantially straight and extending across `the garment from side to side thereof, and the side edges of said opening converging to aV point below the crotch of the garment, a seat section stitched to the side edges of said opening and forming gore portions extending into the legs of the garment below the crotch thereof, said gore portions also extending to the front of the garmentV and stitched thereto and forming a permanently closed seamless crotch, the upper portion of said seat section forming a Copies ofthis patent may 'be obtained for loose drop flap for covering said opening, and means for connecting said iiap to the back of the garment, the lines of stitching for securing the seat section to the side edges of said opening being extended to points above the extremities of the upper edge of said opening.

3. A union garment having a posterior opening formed by cutting out a triangular section of the fabric from which the garment is made, the upper edge of said opening being substantially straight and extending across the garment from side to side thereof, and the side edges of said opening converging to a point below the crotch of the garment,

a seat section stitched to the side edges of said opening and forming gore portions extending into the legs of the garment below the crotch thereof, said gore portions also extending tothe front of the garment and stitched thereto and forming a permanently closed seamless crotch, the upper portion of said seat section forming a loose drop liap for covering said opening, and means for connecting said flap to the back of the garment, the lines of stitching for securing the seat section to the side edges of said opening being extended to points above the extremities of the upper edge of said opening, and 8O tapes secured to the back of the garment and to said flap at the ends of the lines of stitching for reinforcing the same.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands to the specification for which we have made petition for Letters Patent of the United States September 27th, 1912, and October 2nd, 1912, led October 8, 1912, Serial No. 7 211,604, Franklin Ohattield at Minneapolis, Hennepin county, Minnesota, this 30th day of June, 1913, and George E. Rutledge at Rochelle, Ogle county, Illinois, this 3rd day of July, 1913.

FRANKLIN OHATFIELD. In presence of- GuNnvInvE E. SoRnNsEN, RICHARD PAUL.

GEO. E. RUTLEDGE. Witnesses:

J. GRovoR VALKER, MARY HANSEN.

ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

